1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aligned optoelectronic receiver and, more particularly, to an optoelectronic receiver comprising a device for taking fin or collecting optical signals, an optical sensor for converting optical signals into electrical signals and a coupling element for aligning an input optical signal on an optical-signal sensitive surface of the optical sensor. It also relates to a method of making an aligned optoelectronic receiver so that it is accurately aligned to receive incoming optical signals.
2. Prior Art
Optoelectronic receivers of the above, described type are known. They have a device for taking in or collecting optical signals (in the following called a telescope), by means of which the optical signals from an external source are guided to an optical sensor for conversion of the optical signals into electrical signals. The optical sensor has a sensitive surface, on which the optical signals must fall in order to be converted into electrical signals. An evaluation electronic circuit is associated with the optical sensor, by means of which the converted electrical signals are evaluated, stored, transmitted or the like.
In order to align the optic axis of the device for taking in optical signals on the sensitive surface of the optical sensor it is known to arrange a coupling element between the device for taking in or collecting optical signals and the optical sensor. An adjustment of the entire optoelectronic receiver is possible by alignment of the coupling element to a predetermined position relative to the optical sensor and of the device for taking in optical signals relative to the coupling element.
In the known optoelectronic receiver a plurality of adjusting devices are required for adjusting the individual elements, which lead to a complicated and thus costly structure and a very extensive work routine in order to perform the individual adjusting steps.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved aligned optoelectronic receiver, in that the adjustments that are necessary to accurately align the optoelectronic receiver to receive incoming optical signals are more easily and simply performed in a more economical process for making the aligned optoelectronic receiver.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of making an aligned optoelectronic receiver, which is accurately aligned to receive the incoming optical signals.
These objects and others, which will be made more apparent hereinafter, are attained in an optoelectronic receiver comprising a device for taking in or collecting optical signals, an optical sensor for converting the optical signals into electronic signals and a coupling element for alignment of the optic axis of the device for taking in or collecting the optical signals on a sensitive surface of the optical sensor.
According to the invention the optoelectronic receiver includes a holder for the device for taking in the optical signals, a retaining device for the coupling; element and a joint adjusting means for adjusting the holder for the device for taking in the optical signals and the retaining device for the coupling element.
The optoelectronic receiver according to the invention has the advantage provides the advantage that an exact position adjustment of the individual elements of the optoelectronic receiver is possible in a simple manner. Because of the feature that a common adjusting means is provided for both a holder of the device for taking in or collecting the optical signals and a retaining device for the coupling element, the adjustment of the entire optoelectronic receiver is essentially simplified. The common adjusting means may be used in an especially simple way for subsequent adjustments of the coupling element relative to the optical axis of the optoelectronic receiver and the device for taking in optical signals relative to the coupling element.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the common adjusting means is an optical bench, which has a predetermined upper surface. This upper surface is used for alignment of the coupling element and the device for collecting or taking in the optical signals. In a particularly simple manner an exact adjustment is possible in a particularly simple manner by a common reference surface for the coupling element and the retaining device. Alignment errors for; the reference surface lead to equal deviations of the adjustment of the coupling element and the device for receiving the optical signals. An exact alignment of the optical signals on the sensitive surface of the optical sensor and thus with the optic axis of the entire optoelectronic receiver is thus possible.
Especially self-adjustment of the optoelectronic receiver by an external optical test signal by means of the common adjusting means is preferable. Both the coupling element and also the device for collecting or taking in the optical signals can be changed in their position relative to each other by the common adjusting device, so that an electrical signal is generated by the optical sensor, which provides a result used for the adjustment of the optoelectronic receiver, with the known optical test signal. This procedure provides a highly precisely adjusted optoelectronic receiver.